BAR TOOLS
As bartending has evolved over the last decade, a handful of cocktail
bartenders have imported or helped design better tools to get the job done.
Professional barware has helped reposition bartending alongside cooking
as a noble trade in America. Until recently, many of the items on this list
were unavailable in the United States and difficult to source. Like cooks in a
starred restaurant, the top bartenders bring their favorite tools to work. Here
are the tools we stock behind the bar at PDT.

Absinthe Spoon

Absinthe Fountain

Atomizer

Bar Spoons

Bitters Bottles

16 oz. Blue
Blazer Mugs

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18 oz. and 28 oz.
Boston Shaker

Champagne
Stopper

Channel Knife

Citrus Press

Cobbler Shaker

Cutting Board

Fine Strainer

Funnel

Garnish Spoons

Ice Cube Tray

Ice Pick

Ice Scoop

B a r To ols

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BL ACK JACK
In 2009,
GonĂ§alo de Sousa
Monteiro lead
a delegation of
bartenders from
Berlin who mixed
a selection of
original recipes
and classics at
PDT.

B L A C K S TA R
The Blackstar
was created with
Smirnoff Black,
a full-bodied
vodka that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
available in the
U.S., and named
after the whole
star anise pod
that floats on
the surface as an
aromatic garnish.

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe
Garnish with a star anise pod
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jim Meehan, New York, 2007

Cocktails

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CR A N B E R R Y CO B B L E R
Cranberries are
the last berries
available before
winter settles in
in the Northeast.
We used them to
make a classic
cobbler, fortified
with English gin
and a historic
style of off-dry
Sherry.

Add the citrus, cranberries and syrup to a mixing
glass and muddle
Add everything else, then shake with ice and strain
into a chilled rocks glass filled with pebble ice
Garnish with a mint sprig and three macerated
cranberries
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Michael Madrusan and Jim Meehan, Winter 2007

Cranberry Simple Syrup
& Macerated Cranberries
16 oz. Simple Syrup
1 8-oz. bag Cranberries: frozen is fine
Heat the simple syrup until it almost boils, then turn
the heat down to medium and add the cranberries.
Once the skin of the first few cranberries splits,
remove from heat and allow to cool. Bottle a
portion of the syrup and reserve the rest to store
with the cranberries in the refrigerator.
Yield: approx. 31 oz.

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The Recipes

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F LY IN G D U T CH M A N
An ancestor of
the Aviation
Cocktail, the
name references
Dutch genever,
not the cursed
ship forever lost
at sea.

M A N H AT TA N
Regardless of
the cocktail’s
exact origin, the
popularity of
Italian vermouth
in the latter
half of the 19th
century made it
inevitable that it
would eventually
end up in the
Whiskey Cocktail.

HO T DOG S
A night at PDT wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be complete without the hot dogs we serve
through two small metal doors that connect the Crif Dogs counter to PDT.
These recipes reveal the secret toppings of a few of our loyal customers who
also happen to be some of the best chefs in the world: Wylie Dufresne
of WD-50, David Chang of Momofuku, and Daniel Humm of Eleven
Madison Park, among others. Here, too, are some Crif Dog specialties,
like the John John Deragon.

HUMMER
Crif Dogs/PDT
is across the street
from an Israeli
grocery store
called Holyland
Market and down
the block from the
Hummus Place.
It was inevitable,
we think, that
our hot dogs
would want to
get in on the
chickpea action.

Oil for frying
8 Vegetarian Hot Dogs,
cut in half lengthwise
8 Hot Dog Buns
1 8- or 10-oz. Container Hummus
16 Israeli Cucumber Pickles,
sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup or so Israeli Pickled Hot Peppers,
sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch-
thick discs
1. Heat a griddle or wide skillet (preferably cast iron)
over medium-high heat. After a minute, slick it
with oil. Arrange the dogs, cut side down, on
the cooking surface and cook until browned and
crisped, about 5 minutes.
2. Build the hot dog: Reunite griddled dog halves so
the dog looks whole again. Nestle it into a bun and
schmear it with a heaping tablespoon of hummus.
(At the restaurant, we put the hummus in a squeeze
bottle and zigzag it on.) Arrange the sliced pickles
between the dog and the bun: they should flank it
like Secret Service agents. Scatter sliced pickled
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peppers over the top—enough to give the dog a
kick, but not so much that they hide the hummus
from view. Serve at once.
Note: For the hummus, Sabra, a widely available
brand, is what we use. The Israeli cucumber pickles
are from Kvuzat Yavne Food Products, a kibbutz
that makes pickled products in the Holy Land, but
any small, dense, smoother- skinned pickles will
do. And the pickled peppers from Israeli stores
have a hot pepper kick, but won’t give anyone
heartburn. If you don’t have access to a Middle
Eastern grocery, any Italian or Italian-American
brand of pepperoncini should do the trick.
For 8

H o t D o g s 275

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on sale NOVEMber 2011

advance reading copy · not for sale
Beautifully illustrated, beautifully designed, and beautifully crafted—
just like its namesake—this is the ultimate bar book by NYC’s most meticulous bartender.
To say that PDT is a unique bar is an understatement. It recalls the era of hidden Prohibition
speakeasies: to gain access, you walk into a raucous hot dog stand, step into a phone booth, and
get permission to enter the serene cocktail lounge. Now, Jim Meehan, PDT’s innovative operator and
mixmaster, is revolutionizing bar books, too, offering all 304 cocktail recipes available at PDT plus
behind-the-scenes secrets. From his bar design, tools, and equipment to his techniques, food, and
spirits, it’s all here, stunningly illustrated by Chris Gall.

• National publicity
• Features and reviews in spirits and general
interest magazines
• Newspaper coverage in entertainment and book review sections
• Online coverage and recipe excerpts on spirits blogs and
entertaining websites
• Cross promotions with liquor brands featured in book
• Events in New York City
Jim Meehan, a bartender, educator, and
writer, has worked at some of New York City’s
most popular restaurants and bars, including
Five Points, Gramercy Tavern, Pegu Club,
and PDT. Meehan has edited numerous
editions of Food & Wine Magazine’s annual
cocktail book, Mr. Boston’s Bartender
Guide, and writes a monthly column for
Sommelier Journal. In 2007 and 2008, he
was recognized as a rising star mixologist by
Star Chefs.com and Cheers Magazine, and in
2009, he was named American Bartender of
the Year at Tales of the Cocktail. He lives and
works in New York City’s East Village with his
wife, Valerie, and French Bulldog, Pearl.

Award-winning illustrator and author Chris Gall
has created artwork for clients all over the world,
from logos to gigantic murals. His work has been
showcased in virtually every major publication
in America, and has received more than fifty
major awards from the likes of the Society of
Illustrators and Communication Arts Magazine.
Millions of New Yorkers will recognize Gall’s
“Flying Fish,” which was commissioned by the
MTA for display throughout the New York subway
system. He resides in Tucson, Arizona, with his
wife, Ann.

Reviewers are reminded that changes may be made in this uncorrected proof before books are
printed. If any material from the book is to be quoted in a review, the quotation should be checked
against the final bound book. Dates, prices, and manufacturing details are subject to change or
cancellation without notice.

The PDT Cocktail Book

To say that PDT is a unique bar is an understatement. It recalls the era of hidden Prohibition speakeasies: to gain access, you walk into a raucous hot dog stand, step into a phone booth, and get permission to enter the serene cocktail lounge. Now, Jim Meehan, PDT’s innovative operator and mixmaster, is revolutionizing bar books, too, offering all 304 cocktail recipes available at PDT plus behind-the-scenes secrets. From his bar design, tools, and equipment to his techniques, food, and spirits, it’s all here, stunningly illustrated by Chris Gall.